Chiropractic demonstrating device



Dec. 21, 1937. G. w. SALSMAN CHIROPRACTIC DEMONSTRATING DEVICE FiledApril 7, 1936 Patented Dec. 21,1937

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFica CHIROPRACTIC DEMONSTRATING DEVICE GeorgeWesley Salsman, La JuntafColo. Application April 7, 1936, Serial No.73,182

3 Claims.

. This invention relates to the class of education and pertainsparticularly to a means of illustrating chiropractic.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a structurefor illustrating the manner in which chiropractic is employed forcorrecting subluxated positions of the. upper vertebrae of the spinalcolumn whereby pressure is placed on the spinal chord or upon the nervesleading therefrom betweenthose vertebrae.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device'for carrying outthe above described illustration whereby a normally complete electriccircuit including an indicating light which, is energized when thevertebrae are in proper relation, is interrupted when the vertebrae areout.

of proper relation and the light is caused to go out or be dimmed, thusillustrating the manner in which'the nerve impulses are shut off, orreduced in activity by the maladjustment of the vertebrae.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a compact novelassociation of electrical circuit making units whereby a certain degreeof movement of the vertebrae is permitted without opening the electriccircuit but an extreme movement of the vertebrae or a movement of thesame in a direction opposed to their normal plane of movement willeffect a separation of the contacts and the breaking of the circuit.

'The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing forming part of this specification, with a the understanding,however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformitywith the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so longas such changes or modifications mark no material departure from thesalient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the structure embodying thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in top plan of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. i is a diagram ployed. V

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the device preferablyincludes'a suitable supporting structure for the skeletal partsemployed, and such a structure is here illustrated as comprising a basehaving a supporting standard consisting of two upright members 2 and acrossconof the electric circuit em-.

necting bar or plate 3. The numeral 4 generally designates a portion ofthe occipital bone of the skull, the forward or anterior portion 5 ofwhich is formed tov be secured against one face of the bar 3 by means ofthe bolts 6 or by any other suitable means. Associated with thisportionof the skull bone and occupying the normal positions therebenath, arethe first and second cervical vertebrae which are designatedrespectively by the numerals l and. 8, the first vertebra being known asthe atlas and the second as the axis. The atlas has upon its uppersurface two articulating surfaces each of which receives the portion 9of the occipital bone and between this portion or condyle and theadjacent articulating surface a suitable insert Hlis placed, whichfacilitates the relative movement between the bones. The adjacentsurfaces of the two vertebrae have similar articulating faces betweenwhich inserts I i are placed which, together with the inserts I0,correspond to the synovial membranes normally present in the livingskeleton.

, In eifecting the. assembly of the occipital bone with the vertebrae,the occipital bone has formed therein the two openings l2, and theseoverlie similar openings formed in the transverse processes I3 and M ofthe atlas and axis vertebrae respectively, which latter openings areindicated by the numerals l5. Passing through these openings I2 and I5are articulating spring memu bers 16, the upper ends of which aresecured in any suitable manner to the body of the skull bone, as by thetransverse pins shown in Fig. 2, and by similar means at their lowerends as by the pins l8 which position against the under sides of thetransverse processes of the axis bone. These springs operate to firmlyretain the several bones in the relation illustrated.

The normal'atlas bone has what is known as an anterior arch, which isindicated by the'numeral l8, and the axis bone'has'a similar arch 20from which extends upwardly a process known as the odontoid process 20'which normally positions against the inner or posterior face of theanterior arch of the atlas and from which it is separated by a synovialmembrane, which is not shown in the illustration.

In carrying out the present invention the odontold process is providedwith a transverse metallic pin 2|, to the posterior end of which anelectric wire 22 is attached, while the anterior end forms an electriccontact point 23 for electrical engagement with the contact 24 whichpasses through the anterior arch of the atlas ranged to make electriccontact with the terminal 25 when the several bones are in the properrelation, and this terminal 32 is electrically coupled by the wire 33with the screw 3|.

The wire 22 leads from the contact pin 2| to an indicating electric lamp34 and from the other side of this lamp leads the wire 35 to theterminal 30 which completes the circuit back to the other side of thebattery.

Extending as a shunt line across the terminals 2324 and 2532 is acurrent conductor 36 in which is connected a resistance 3! andpreferably a switch 38.

The present device is designed'for illustrating the theory that the twovertebrae at the base of the skull, the atlas and the axis, regulate thenerve impulses from or to all the other main nerves through thesympathetic nervous system, and that by the proper adjustment of thesetwo vertebrae, proper nerve impulses will be transmitted from the othernerves passing between the vertebrae below the two specifically referredto. In this connection when the vertebrae are in the proper relationwith one another and with the skul, the contacts 23-24 and 25-32, willbe together thus completing the electric circuit from the batterythrough the lamp 34 and energizing the latter. The shifting of these twofirst vertebrae from the normal position, which shifting would normallycause pressure upon the spinal cord and interruption or partial stoppageof the nerve impulses, will open one of the two contact points and thusbreak the circuit and deenergize the lamp. In order to illustrate howthe nerve impulses may be only partly shut off, the switch 33 may beclosed so that when either of the contact points is separated thecurrent will flow through the shunt line 36 and the resistance 3'! andthus supply only a small amount of energy to the light 34 to dimlyilluminate it.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that with the device hereindescribed the teaching of the manner in which chiropractic adjustmentswill relieve the subluxated conditions of the vertebrae and restore thenervous system to its proper balanced condition, may be easily andclearly accomplished.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described, an occipital bone, supportingmeans therefor, an atlas bone in normal relation with the occipitalbone, an axis bone in normal relation with the atlas, the said last twobones having openings formed in the transverse processes thereof, springelements passing through said openings and coupling the bones forarticulation, said axis bone normally having the odontoid process inopposed relation with the anterior arch of the atlas,-a pair of normallytouching electric contacts, one contact being on said arch and the aother contact being on said process, a second pair of normally touchingcontacts, one of the second contacts being electrically connected withthe .arch carried contact and the other of the second contacts beingrigid with the skull bone, and an electric circuit having both of saidpairs of contacts, a source oi electric potential and an incandescentbulb in series relation therein.

2. In a device of the character described, an occipital bone, supportingmeans therefor, an atlas bone in normal relation with the occipitalbone, an axis bone in normal relation with the atlas, the said boneshaving openings formed in the transverse processes thereof, springelements passing through said openings and coupling the bones forarticulation, said axis bone normally having the odontoid process inopposed relation with the anterior arch of the atlas, a pair of normallytouching electric contacts, one contact being on said arch and the othercontact being on said process, a second pair of normally touchingcontacts, one of the second contacts being electrically connected withthe arch carried contact and the other of the second contacts beingrigid with the skull bone, an electric circuit having both of said pairsof contacts, a source of electric potential and an incandescent bulb inseries relation therein, and a shunt electric current conductorconnected across both pairs of contacts and including a resistancetherein whereby separation of either of the pairs of contacts willreduce the current flow through said bulb.

3. In a chiropractic demonstrating device, a pair of vertebrae arrangedin normal relation, a pair of electric contacts, one being carried byeach vertebra, an electric circuit including an incandescent lamp, asource of electrical potential and said contacts, said contacts beingelectrically connected and said lamp being illuminated when the saidvertebrae are normally related, and a shunt circuit bridging saidcontacts and including a resistance element whereby the efiects of adisplacement of a vertebra will be illustrated when the vertebrae areshifted to separate said contacts, by a reduction in the illumination ofthe lamp. 7,

GEORGE WESLEY SALSMAN.

